Leaving aside the delicious irony of a Rockefeller calling anyone on the carpet for making too much money, Sen. Jay Rockefeller wants to know what those greedy health insurance companies are doing with their premium dough just the same.

I kid; Jay Rockefeller is a good man. I just think he's fallen into the trap of assuming all health care insurance chief executives are bad men.

Trust me, I'm no apologist for these guys. As someone who seems to collect serious diseases, I've dealt with my fair share of "pre-existing" hassles and "refused" treatment. Some aren't saints, but let me tell you, all aren't devils.

I mean, that would be like saying, "all TV anchors are idiots." OK, scratch that, but remember this: If we applied the same generic bias to races what we do to certain industries, we'd rightly be dragged into court.

But since Congress sees itself as the court, it can play judge, jury, even executioner. And who do you think they're executing now?

Not those '90s bad guys — the drug companies — who lo and behold, are going along this time with Congress' mess. No, "this year's" villains are the health insurance companies — who are not.

I don't care how you feel about these companies, no more than I do about oil company CEOs when they're dragged before Congress by these Keystone Cops for these kangaroo courts. But do you see a pattern here?

Just once, I'd like a hearing where the questioners are questioned, the grillers are grilled and the probers are themselves probed — ideally, with very sharp, cold metal devices.

That would be fair. That would be balanced. But that would not be Washington, would it?

Where a Rockefeller can cast aspersions on an industry's wealth and clueless congressmen can deflect their own ineptitude by going after that wealth.

Forget about insurance for us; for God's sake, is there any insurance to protect us from them?